Has light rail benefited Houston?
Growing inward can bring jobs, stores to residents but raise property taxes and rents
People get excited when it’s announced that light rail is coming to their neighborhood. There is an assumption, mostly supported by research — depending on how far from the rail the research explores — that the rail can attract more businesses and encourage developments of more housing units while increasing property values.
Overall, a strong and connected public transportation encourages cities to build inward by increasing the ability for nearby residents to carry out activities.
For example, the City of El Paso is designating some areas as Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zones in anticipation of its Streetcar Project. This move provides incentives for businesses to build in neighborhoods near transit so people can go to jobs, grocery stores, schools, parks and other public amenities within close distance to each other.
In Houston, the spread of light rail was a long and sometimes contentious project. There were doubts about its benefits to surrounding communities. But a study by Qisheng Pan, a professor at Texas Southern University, indicates there have been measurable positive impacts from the development of light rail, at least on the Main Street corridor, in Houston. That study found that
within three miles of new rail stations, some benefits ascribed to light rail materialized.
But being close to rail stations was not the only factor. Physical characteristics of neighborhoods such as home size and the concentration of people and jobs positively impact property values while older buildings tend to be negatively impacted.
Likewise, a study by Richard J. Lee from the Washington State Department of Transportation and Ipek N. Sener from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, examined changing land use within about a half mile of the rail stations along Houston’s original Red, Purple and Green lines.
The study found that along the original Red Line, a rise in commercial development after the light rail came in began even before the line was constructed. The study also found increased development on vacant lands along these lines. This is a good thing, as vacant land in cities like Houston tends to represent a lack of investment. Even as the region continued to face a shortage of affordable housing supply, residential units along these lines increased — a trend across the country as living close to transit becomes a more attractive option.
The authors also looked into land-use mix, an indicator of the different ways people use a land or building. The more people can live, work and carry out important activities within close distance to each other, the more vibrant a neighborhood can be. All the light rail lines evaluated seemed to have a more diverse land-use mix compared to other parts of Houston.
Of course, it’s hard to determine whether the mix of activities along these lines was caused by the increased access by light rail transit. Sometimes, decisions on where to put new rail lines or extend them depend on locations with existing high concentrations and a diverse mixture of activities happening there.
But what look like benefits to some — notably rising property values — can also represent risks for longtime homeowners and renters. Indeed, light rail is not always welcomed in some neighborhoods. Especially those already concerned about gentrification, which tends to drive up property taxes and rents, making housing unaffordable for existing residents.
To address these concerns, some cities have put in place measures to avoid displacing existing residents. Houston continues to grow, but is at a crossroads post-Harvey. Can it afford to continue growing as before and face the long-term consequences of being a car-dependent, outwardgrowing metropolis?
Or must it begin to think about prioritizing growing inward by improving its public transportation infrastructure and putting workplaces and other important destinations close to where people live while ensuring residents who want to stay can do so?